NOVEL WEB Chapter 14: The Appointment Letter
Chapter 14: The Appointment Letter
Five or six zombies crowded together, pushing and shoving as they charged into the corridor.
But what greeted them were cleavers falling from above.
The fierce zombies were instantly cut down, never to rise again.
The corridor door was closed once more, sealing off the outside world.
Wu Heng walked down from behind the skeletons and began casting Raise Skeleton, raising six more skeletons.
He armed the skeletons with cleavers, then glanced at the sky—it was already dusk.
Joining the Adventurer’s Association and learning a skill had taken up most of the day.
Going out to hunt zombies now would be risky; better to wait until tomorrow.
He returned to Blackstone Town, had dinner, practiced with his spear, and then went to sleep.
……
The next day.
Wu Heng woke up early; a life without video games left him full of energy.
After breakfast, he headed straight to the Adventurer’s Hall.
It was still early, and there weren’t many people around.
Wu Heng approached the counter and asked, "Can you check if my commission is ready?"
"Sir, please present your commission receipt."
He handed over the receipt, and the staff member began checking the progress based on the number.
"The commission is complete; you need to pay an additional 15 silver and 32 copper."
Finally, it was done.
But the price was steep.
Fifteen silver—that was enough to buy three regular iron swords.
Without hesitation, Wu Heng paid the balance, and the antidote and a test report were handed over to him.
【Specially Made Antidote】
(Description: An antidote made for specific toxins.)
He put away the antidote and quickly returned home.
In the zombie world.
Wu Heng went to the rooftop, took out the antidote, and examined the report.
He didn’t understand much about alchemy in this world.
But alchemical potions had many miraculous effects; even in the modern world, it was hard to find medicine that worked instantly.
If the modern world hadn’t turned out like this, opening a potion company could have made him a lot of money.
Besides the potion, there was also a sheet of paper.
The paper contained the results of the corpse core analysis and the ingredients used in the antidote.
All based on the requirements Wu Heng had specified in his commission.
The analysis mentioned various toxins, including neurotoxins and corpse poison, but suggested using the corpse core as alchemical material rather than consuming it directly.
The antidote’s ingredients had complex names, none of which Wu Heng recognized.
He skimmed through it and then put it away.
Taking out the remaining 'corpse core,' he set the antidote aside.
He had been holding onto the core for several days, and luckily, it hadn’t started to rot.
Otherwise, his money would have been wasted.
After disinfecting with some alcohol, he hesitated no longer and swallowed it whole.
At first, he felt nothing.
【Constitution +2, Strength +1, Agility +2.】
The system prompt appeared instantly.
But before Wu Heng could rejoice, a burning sensation spread from his stomach throughout his body.
His arms and neck began to show purplish-blue veins, and the burning turned into excruciating pain.
"Damn! It’s really poisonous."
Pop!
He uncorked the antidote and gulped it down in one go.
As the liquid took effect, the pain subsided, and the purplish-blue veins gradually faded.
Until they disappeared completely.
After five or six minutes, Wu Heng lay on the ground, gasping for breath.
Huff~!
"Good thing I had that antidote made, or I might’ve actually killed myself."
Once the pain was gone and his mind cleared, a surge of joy filled him.
He had gained five attribute points.
That was like leveling up two and a half times.
【Attributes: Strength 10, Agility 13, Constitution 15, Intelligence 16, Perception 10, Charisma 13.】
Though the attribute points had been added to Constitution, Strength, and Agility, these stats directly impacted his physical condition, and any high stat was beneficial.
Intelligence wasn’t the only thing useful for a mage.
After a moment of happiness, he calmed himself down.
He took out the potion formula and examined it again.
"So, if I keep absorbing corpse cores, can I keep boosting my stats...?"
If this hypothesis was correct, his attributes could increase without limit.
Even if leveling up didn’t give many attribute points, he could still enhance them with corpse cores.
The two methods could complement each other.
After resting for a bit and ensuring he felt no ill effects, he got up and directed the skeletons to start their leveling-up activities for the day.
Overnight, three more wandering zombies had appeared downstairs, though it was unclear where they had come from.
Opening the stairway door, Wu Heng issued the command, "Attack."
In the next second, the line of skeletons surged out from the corridor.
They swarmed the zombies outside.
The zombies were knocked down by the pressing skeletons, and before they could lift their heads, countless cleavers and hammers came down, turning them into mush.
The commotion attracted the attention of nearby zombies.
They started rushing out from the open stairway and the back of the building.
"Attack!" Wu Heng stepped out of the stairwell and shouted the order.
The skeleton warriors raised their cleavers in unison and charged at the oncoming zombies.
Roars and the sounds of hacking and slashing filled the air.
Crash, crash, crash~!
The glass windows of the building across the way shattered in succession as zombies tumbled out of the upper floors.
The ones falling from greater heights were smashed into pulp, while those falling from lower heights broke their legs and crawled forward.
"So many?"
Zombies poured out from all directions, lunging at the skeletons.
Though still within the skeletons' capability to handle, the number was greater than Wu Heng had estimated from the rooftop.
The skeleton dog occasionally leaped out from the skeleton ranks, knocking down one or two zombies, biting their necks, and shaking its head violently.
When the zombies began to surround it, it would quickly jump back behind the skeletons, never forgetting to wag its hips provocatively at them.
The taunting was blatant.
Wu Heng stood behind the skeletons, observing the situation while continuously casting Raise Skeleton.
He replenished the fallen skeletons as needed.
The number of zombies gradually decreased until only a few scattered ones remained, along with those that had broken legs from jumping out of windows but were still crawling toward them.
"Go, kill those crippled ones," Wu Heng commanded the skeleton dog.
The skeleton dog wagged its tail and leaped out of the ranks, finishing off the crawling zombies one by one.
Soon, the ground was piled with the corpses of around thirty or forty zombies.
Wu Heng ordered the skeletons to gather all the bodies, stacking them into a small hill.
He began casting Raise Skeleton.
Summon a few, rest for a bit to avoid mental exhaustion.
He didn’t want to experience that brain-mashing sensation again.
As the day wore on, the sky began to darken.
Glancing at the remaining bodies yet to be transformed, he decided against working through the night.
No need to push too hard—steady progress was key.
……
Returning to Blackstone Town, Wu Heng had dinner at the tavern.
Along the way, he overheard some conversations among the patrons.
Things like discounts at a certain brothel or the blacksmith’s shop raising prices due to a lack of ore.
This was his most effective way of gathering information about the world.
Asking questions could sometimes draw unwanted attention, but listening to others brag could yield useful info.
Satisfied after his meal, he began walking home.
Feeling quite content.
"My luck’s turning!"
Lately, good things had been happening one after another—it felt like his luck was on a roll.
Everything was going smoothly, and the future looked promising.
"Gotta stay low, build up attributes, and increase the number of skeletons," Wu Heng reminded himself.
He quickened his pace toward home.
However, as soon as he turned into the alley leading to his house, he abruptly stopped.
He quickly retreated back out of the alley and reached for his holster.
Three figures were standing at his doorstep.
A man, a woman, and one person completely shrouded in a black cloak, making it impossible to tell if they were male or female.
Are the wanted criminals here for revenge? It’s not even dark yet!
Wu Heng’s eyes narrowed in caution.
The three in the alley noticed the movement, and one of them spoke, "Wu Heng?"
"What business do you have?"
"The official appointment letter from the headquarters has arrived, and the steward sent us to deliver it, along with your skeleton."
As they spoke, one of them pulled down the hood of the figure behind them, revealing the skeletal warrior with soul flames flickering in its eye sockets.
A faint mark on its jawbone confirmed it was the very wanted criminal Wu Heng had killed.
"My apologies, please come in," Wu Heng said, opening the door to invite the two inside.
Besides his skeleton, only two people had come.
One man and one woman.
The man appeared to be in his forties, with brown hair slicked back, a stern and resolute expression, wearing silver-white armor, and a longsword at his waist.
On the right chest of the silver armor was the insignia of the Adventurer’s Association.
The other was a young woman with long blonde hair, sharp features, and a tall, slender figure. She wore a brown leather vest over tight leather pants, showing off her long, straight legs.
She gave off a sharp and capable vibe.
As soon as she entered the room, her eyes began scanning the surroundings.
"Please, have a seat," Wu Heng gestured for them to sit, pouring each of them a cup of iced tea.
Once Wu Heng had also sat down, the man began laying out some items on the wooden table, saying, "My name is Otluck, captain of the fourth squad stationed in Blackstone Town. This is my team member, 'Kavina.'"
The woman nodded in acknowledgment.
"Good afternoon to both of you."
The middle-aged captain placed the items on the table one by one and said, "Here’s your appointment letter and the armor issued by the Association. Take good care of it—the armor is a perk and not mandatory to wear."
Armor as a reward—nice touch.
The man continued, "According to the allocation by the Blackstone Town Adventurer’s Association, you’re now part of the fourth squad."
Wu Heng realized why the two had come.
It turned out he had already been assigned to a squad.
"So, our squad only has three members?" Wu Heng asked out of curiosity.
"Adventurer squads are typically three to five members. Our squad is new, so it’s just the three of us for now."
Adventurer squads mainly handled rescues and assisted local guards.
They wouldn’t have as many members as patrol teams.
If there were too many people, it could cause friction with the locals.
The captain added, "By the way, we have a mission tomorrow. We’re leaving early, meeting at the West Gate. Don’t be late."
Wu Heng was taken aback, "So soon?"